Standing before Erginnus' magic circle, Joy continued to steady herself, analyzing it calmly.
"This is related to the magic circle. This part is connected to the academy’s maintenance... and this one..."
Ah.
She found it.
The source of the magic circle.
The great magic at its core.
For now, the state of the magic circle was quite decent.
Erginnus, the grand mage who had painstakingly created this circle, had managed to preserve its form even hundreds of years later.
There were some cracks in certain places, but they weren't irreparable.
With this condition, repairing the barrier wouldn’t take long.
Finding a way to resist the Void’s power wouldn’t take much longer either...
No! No! Joy! Never be too sure.
Don’t think it’s a success.
Don’t relax.
Doubt yourself until everything is over!
You’re a fool who doesn’t know when you'll make a mistake!
Joy was well aware of her own foolishness, which was recognized not only by Lucy and Arthur but even by Faebi.
That’s why, over and over, she repeated not to relax, as she continued working on repairing the magic circle.
While Joy, sweating profusely, worked on the magic circle’s repair, on the other side, a fierce confrontation was taking place between the Void Followers and the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint, cutting down anyone who dared approach her divine territory, and the Void Followers, using every trick to plant their feet into the divine territory, trying to taint its warmth.
Without a doubt, the one at an advantage here was Uden, the Sword Saint.
Her sword, moving at super-speed, possessed a sharpness that perfectly suited her style.
Just the fact that she could counter her opponents’ attacks was enough to recognize her as a formidable fighter.
As her sword relentlessly flew toward the Void Followers, what could they possibly do?
The Void Apostle, while constantly shifting forms to dodge Uden’s sword, couldn’t make any meaningful impact on the divine territory.
In the end, there was only one thing the Void Followers could do.
Pray that Faebi’s smile, from behind, was just arrogance.
Realizing that things weren’t going well, the Void Apostle grimaced, but there was nothing he could do to change the situation.
What should I do? How can I turn this situation around?
Great Void God, purer than anything else, who wishes to return the world to purity...
Please grant me your teachings. Share your wisdom, so that I may fulfill your will.
This humble lamb prays desperately.
Please grant this humble lamb the power to fulfill your will!
“Void God!”
The change was instant.
The world became drenched in pitch black, where nothing ahead could be seen.
Another layer of energy was superimposed on the Void’s power.
The groan of someone in pain. The scream of someone in rage. The sob of someone in sadness. The pointless laughter of someone in madness.
Sounds.
Sounds.
The eerie sounds of someone, impossibly ominous, overpowered everything, pressing down on them.
Faebi recognized whose work this was.
Joy, too, felt a sense of deja vu in the shifting surroundings.
Having witnessed Lucy’s miracles firsthand, the two of them couldn’t be unfamiliar with this phenomenon.
It was no wonder.
The energy surrounding them was the same as the one who hated the Sun more than anyone in the current world.
It was the energy of one who sought to harm those dear to the Sun.
It was the energy of the one who had caused all this.
"...Joy! Is the repair of the magic circle done yet!?"
“Just a little longer, please!”
The word "a little" made cold sweat drip from Faebi’s forehead.
As the environment changed, the pressure on the territory grew much stronger.
It was a level that couldn’t even be compared to before.
This was the Evil God Agraga.
The being who once sought to lead this land to destruction, an adversary of the Sun, and a being I will eventually face by Lady Alrn's side.
The divine territory Faebi had created cracked.
The burden of the Evil God’s power was too much, causing blood to trickle from Faebi’s mouth.
Her hands trembled from the pain, and her once lively face had turned pale.
But still, Faebi managed to smile softly.
After all, this was a being she would have to face one day.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
She couldn’t step back now if she wanted to protect Lady Alrn’s side.
If a person bearing the title of Saint fled in fear, who would stand in front of them?
"Just a little more. I can do this. I can’t let Lady Alrn down.”
With a determined heart, Faebi was about to step forward when Uden, the Sword Saint, stepped out of the divine territory first.
“Sword Saint!?”
“Stay inside, Saint. I’ll need to take the lead here.”
“Eh? That’s... Ah.”
A moment later, Faebi’s gaze followed Uden’s as she noticed something approaching from the darkness settled on the ground.
Lina, frantic as she spread her smoke, was busy with her task.
Though she had taken some of her main body’s power, her current physical form was still just a fragment.
There were limits to what she could do. Yet, she didn’t stop moving the smoke.
If she let her smoke disperse, innocent victims might appear in the academy.
“Hah! Damn it, knight! Run more steadily!”
Focusing all her attention on her smoke, Lina urged the sword strapped to her back.
“I’m sorry! But please understand! The surroundings... Damn it! Erin!”
“It’s to the right!”
It hadn’t been long since the situation turned so dire. Until recently, everything had been going well.
The knight had proven how he became one of Alrn's knights, single-handedly destroying golems, while Lina and Erin were leisurely watching.
Everything changed when the darkness suddenly descended.
As the Void’s power was covered by another force, the golems grew stronger than ever, and the Void Followers gained immense strength at the cost of their sanity.
Though the knight could handle a few of these stronger enemies, with the number rising to dozens, even the knight had limits.
Though he had shouted that he would sacrifice himself to carry out the lady’s plan, Erin’s words made him realize that if he died, Lady Alrn would suffer too. He chose to retreat.
Meanwhile, Lina used her power to gather those sleeping within the academy to safety.
If there were any casualties, she knew that Lucy would be devastated.
The fragile girl, no matter how strong she appeared on the outside, wouldn’t be able to bear the deaths of others.
She couldn’t let that happen.
“Ugh! I feel like I’m going crazy! If I had brought all the power of my main body, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Complaining about the limits of her fragment, Lina continued running, while the knight finally managed to escape the building.
And then he saw it.
“...Lina?”
“What is it!? This isn’t the time for—Wait, what’s that?”
A massive figure moved in the darkness.
“Damn it! Looks like things are going south for the employer!”
“I agree. Lady Alrn wouldn’t make plans based on the sacrifice of others.”
The sudden surge of power from the Void Followers confirmed to Karia and Frete that things were slipping in the wrong direction.
Lucy may have been arrogant and irritating, but she wasn’t evil or cold.
In fact, she was probably more fragile than anyone else, incapable of bearing the death of others.
“Frete! Hold on!”
“Please take care of Lady Alrn!”
Without saying much, Frete understood Karia’s intentions and cleared the way for her.
As Karia stepped into the blackened barrier, she frowned at the sinister energy that had taken over and saw something moving in the distance.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
“...Ah. Damn. Of all the things to appear, it’s that?”
In the blackened world, the massive wings moving stirred dark memories in Karia.
The ominous, sinister, terrifying, and repulsive energy filling the underground.
Adri, who had lost control.
The Void Followers attacking their comrades.
And Luca, whose eyes were blackened.
It was the first time she had witnessed such a scene, but it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.
[Agraga gazes upon you.]
In front of me, as the spear rose, was the taunting presence of the one who created this situation.
Agraga! That damn bastard!
It’s you again?!
You were just waiting for an opportunity to interfere, weren’t you?! You cowardly, petty bastard!
If this is how a god behaves, it’s no wonder the perverted Sun got beaten by you!
“Lady Alrn.”
While I was cursing Agraga, I heard Luca’s voice, now lowered, and turned to look at his face.
A cruel smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
“It seems I’ve become your trial.”
In his hand, a large black sword gleamed with a repulsive color.
“I’ll have to give it my all.”
My senses screamed a warning.
I shouldn’t let that sword strike me.